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Paul McCloskey
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Hey, Mr.
McCloskey, thanks for agreeing to an interview.
No problem at all.
Do you feel the voyeuristic atmosphere of the
handheld camera gave the film a more perverse
feeling, or do you think it could have been achieved
with film?
Since the movie was only with home footage, if
things had been set up much like a traditional film
it would have lost certain feelings we were going
for. We used a number of vintage camera and film
types to show Wayne’s long history of violence.
What convinced you to take on this evil character
for the film?
It seemed like a character that would be interesting
to portray. Much like my character in Hatred, I
appear to others as just your ordinary, middle-class
working guy with a wife and family. But underneath
it all, I’m a cold-blooded killer with no remorse
for I do.
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What's your
experience in acting?
I have appeared in a couple of Anthony’s films,
that is the extent of my acting. (laughs)
Did you find any threads to connect with this
character in spite of his vile existence?
Wayne, much like everyone else, is just trying
to make it through each day. His problem is that
he has certain uncontrollable urges that have
catastrophic effects on those he seeks out.
Why do you feel he found murder so cathartic?
Each murder was like a work of art to him,
choosing how he would inflict pain at the given
moment.
If you could compare Wayne to any serial
killer, who do you think would closely compare?
I hadn’t thought of any it would relate to.
There wasn’t any research done on my part
because I didn’t want to get influence from
another source so my portrayal would be more
unique. |
Thanks for
agreeing for an interview, Ms. Lessin.
You are most welcome.
What's your experience in acting?
I have done many background and industrial
shoots. This is my first starring role. It has
been an awesome experience. I have learned so
much and truly hope this jumpstarts my career in
the acting industry.
During the film Andrea often seemed like a
child gazing at the horrific sights rather than
a mastermind like Wayne, was that in the script
or did you just decide play it that way?
A good portion of Andrea Montgomery was
scripted. However, there was definitely part of
it that I developed on my own. I did add many
facets to the character in depth. Such as my
special ginger ale blend. You better be beware
should I offer you some! Is it my special blend
or not?
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Barbara Lessin
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| I was very
specific about certain things in the movie such
as nailing the windows shut, no pictures on the
walls in our room rental, etc. However, Andrea
wanted pictures on the walls where some of the
murders took place. Now, exactly who where those
pictures for? It made no sense. Those kinds of
things throughout Head Case made my character a
unique one.
Were there any
traits of this character you could relate to?
I would have to say yes only because I've always
wanted to act in an inappropriate manner at
times. In actuality, people would think that I
was crazy, so this venue gave me the perfect
opportunity to do weird things without being
held accountable in real life. What a wonderful
experience to relieve stress and frustrations
this way!
Were there any aspects of this character you
found particularly difficult to portray?
My first killing was a really odd feeling. I
kept telling myself it wasn't real and I made it
into a comedy in my own mind. The mind of Andrea
Montgomery. Now, that is really sick isn't it?
But then so were Wayne and Andrea.
Why do you think Andrea was such a clean
freak when she took such pleasure in the
murders?
My mother was kind of eccentric in that respect,
so I guess some of that carried over into my
life. I’ve had my own place for quite some time,
so I can actually live any way I want in the
neatness department depending on my mood at the
time. In the end, it's all neat as any
perfectionist would have it.
Do you think Andrea and Wayne seemed to
garner a sexual thrill from theseperverse acts
during the film?
Yes. Andrea and Wayne's intimate moments all
revolve around their murders. Kind of like an
intimate high when one has a sexual high. What
Wayne didn't think of Andrea did! They were two
peas in a pod, good for each other in a sick and
crazy way. Andrea didn't want to feel left out
and wanted to feel like an extension of Wayne.
She was an intricate part of Wayne's doings
although she did not commit the crimes herself,
she did share Wayne's enjoyment when the tasks
were completed.
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Anthony Spadaccini
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Hey Anthony,
what's new?
Staying busy. Same as before. Only more so now
than ever. But I don’t mind.
I wonder, what made you decide to stray from
your usual socially conscious films for this?
And why horror?
It’s a long story.
I have to believe in every single project I’m
involved in. I am a perfectionist. I can’t do
anything half-heartedly.
That being said - last year, I had originally
planned to continue the story from Aftermath,
Unstable, & Hatred into a 4th and final film
called Closure - which would have brought it all
together.
The problem was that I didn’t believe in the
project. I eventually realized that I was
continuing more out of obligation than anything
else. The whole story was intended to end with
my character’s death in Hatred – rightfully so.
Screwing with that just for the sake of
continuing the story was not something I wanted
to do.
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Even though I
had made many films prior to Unstable, I still
consider it to be my first authentic feature
film. I am very proud of the work we did on it
(as I am with the other two films in the
trilogy). I uploaded the entire film (as well as
the sequel Hatred) to Veoh.com, just as a way of
getting it out there to people who may not have
ever heard of it. It’s amazing how powerful
word-of-mouth really is. I am quite pleased that
Unstable has had the opportunity to be seen by
the Internet community. I have checked out the
message boards. People talk about the film, take
ownership of the characters, and ask a lot of
questions. I get emails and messages every
single day asking me if I’ll ever reveal if Jim
really killed Bobby. And that means the world to
me.
However, I feel like I would have been holding
myself back if I had continued with the same
storyline over and over and over again.
Plus, I felt that I was finished with the Film
Truth Collection. I did have some other ideas I
was throwing around. But all in all, I had said
what I wanted to say with Aftermath, Unstable, &
Hatred – the Film Truth Collection worked as a
trilogy and that’s how I wanted to leave it. It
was time to move on.
The recent surge in popularity & availability of
Hi-Definition products has enabled filmmakers,
both up-and-coming and seasoned veterans, to
shoot features & shorts on the cheap. If more
filmmakers are making movies, then the indie
film market becomes more and more saturated as
time goes on. Which makes it more critical than
ever for one to maintain a unique voice. To
distance one’s self from the crowd. Hardly any
idea is truly original nowadays, however it’s
possible to put a unique spin on an idea and
make it your own.
I’ve always wanted to do a horror film. I made
some slasher films back in high school, but this
was my first real feature length horror film.
And I wanted to do something completely
different from what would see in theaters.
Hope that wasn’t too long for you.
Not at all. Do you think you gave in to the
horror trend and created your own entry? And to
the curious, is this just another of those
torture flicks we hear about?
I knew you would ask this question. (laughs)
Some people may consider this a torture film. I
never set out to make one. And I really don’t
think it is one. On the surface, Head Case may
seem like one of those torture porn films. It’s
bloody. It’s violent. There are indeed some
scenes of what some may call sadistic torture.
But I wouldn’t describe this film as torture
porn. When writing Head Case, I set out to do
something completely different from the norm.
Nowadays, the typical horror film seems to take
place in an elaborate torture chamber. I wanted
to take horror out of that element and into a
suburban setting. Your next-door neighbors.
Nice, quiet people. Who go to church. Have a
nice family. Pillars of their small community.
And who get off by torturing and killing
innocent people.
Who did you enlist for the special effects,
and what was the experience working with gore?
I think that Tanisha Dungee, who handled the
duties of both production design and the makeup
& gore effects, should answer this question.
Tanisha Dungee: Creating the gore effects
for Head Case was a very experimental and
collaborative process filled with trial and
error. Once Anthony decided on the methods of
murder for several of the victims, we had a
brainstorming session where we came up with
ideas on where to get props and create the
bloody look that he envisioned. The first task
was creating a believable mixture of fake blood
that looked good on camera. We tried various
concoctions including recipes found on the
Internet. Eventually, we came up with a solution
that worked well and didn't permanently stain
everything in sight. I won't give away too much
of our secret recipe, but let's just say that
when you are shopping for props and trying to
create effects on a budget, don't overlook
existing household items or things found at your
local grocery store. In fact, most of the gore
props were items found in the meat section,
altered or filmed in such a way as to make them
look like human body parts. I will tell you that
creating the props for the cheese grater scene
was the most fun aspect of the entire film. I
have found that creating effects requires
imagination, creativity, patience, and time. But
overall, it is very rewarding to see your work
on film. Simply put, I had a wonderful time
working on Head Case.
Did you garner any actual inspiration for
these two characters? Who were they based on?
I had read about serial killers who filmed their
murders, but I purposely limited my research. I
didn’t want Wayne & Andrea Montgomery to be
based on any real-life serial killers. Neither
Paul or Barbara really did much research either.
It was definitely a risk, because we wanted to
be aware if something had been done before, but
by the same token, we didn’t want to
subconsciously base the characters on anybody,
intentionally or not.
Did you intend any social commentary within
the story?
I never really intended on any social commentary
in Head Case. I guess if I had to pick something
out, it would be the rampant hypocrisy
throughout the film. For example, Andrea’s
cleanliness OCD directly contradicts her
involvement in the killings. But that social
commentary was more accidental than anything
else. I really didn’t want to have any
underlying messages or social or political
subtext here. I just wanted to make a really
disturbing horror film.
Was it entirely scripted, or did you allow
improvisation at any point?
Believe it or not, hardly any of it was
scripted per se. However, we did work from a
pretty detailed treatment, which included
extensive histories on the main characters,
their traits, some fast facts about each of
them, their motivations, etc. The actual
dialogue was completely improvised. Each scene
was written and given to the actors the day of
the shoot. There were bullet points specifying
what had to be said or accomplished during each
particular scene. The treatment was constantly
being re-tooled based on what we would come up
with throughout the course of the shoot. Paul
and Barbara used what I had written in the
treatment as a blueprint and went from there.
They both came up with some pretty incredible,
and at times very disturbing, ideas. Giving them
leeway allowed them to take complete ownership
of their characters. They weren’t playing these
characters. They WERE these characters. I did
end up scripting one or two scenes, but they
ended up getting cut anyway. They worked really
well, but they just involved deleted subplots
that were really interesting, but ultimately
unnecessary. Maybe they’ll end up on the DVD.
I tended to notice an awful lot of emphases
of torture on the private areas. There's a
penile mutilation, and even a gory C Section,
was that intentional?
Not particularly. Obviously, these scenes were
intentionally graphic & disturbing. We knew what
we were doing. I think the emphasis may be a
little bit misleading though. Wayne & Andrea
definitely get intense sadistic pleasure from
the pain they inflict on their victims. Wayne’s
constantly trying to outdo himself and yes,
since he’s a male, he feels like mutilating that
certain area is the most horrifying form of
torture he can possibly put someone through. He
also finds it quite humorous when he realizes
that he’s performed an accidental C section.
Speaking on a personal level, the character of
Wayne changed for me after shooting that scene.
And the audience’s view of Wayne changes as
well. Up until this point, he’s a funny,
endearing, almost lovable serial killer. That
scene serves as a reminder of what exactly he
is. He is pure evil. No person who could perform
such a horrific act and laugh about it is
anything other than just pure evil. And Andrea’s
blasé reaction to it makes her just as
disgusting. Yet, by this point, the movie’s only
half over. And later on, we ask the audience to
identify and even feel sorry for these people.
And if the audience does, then what does that
say about them? Can you look at yourself in the
mirror after finding Wayne & Andrea likeable and
endearing? That’s something I wanted to
challenge the audience with.
Were there any scene you found particularly
difficult to film?
Two scenes stand out in my mind. Originally,
Monica’s death scene was by far the most
disturbing scene in the film to shoot. The way
we shot it, the entire crew would only be able
to see what the audience sees. Everything pretty
much happened off-screen, both on camera and
off. So we had to listen to the screams and
yelling and banging. It was really, really tough
to sit through that. There were definitely some
wet eyes on set that night. Emily was a real
trooper.
However, we recently went through a series of
re-shoots for the new cut of the film, which is
what we’re sending around to review sites and
festivals. This is the version that we’re
considering to be “canon.” One of the unresolved
subplots from the original version, involving
Todd’s apparent discovery of his father’s hidden
footage, will be addressed and expanded upon.
One of these newly added scenes is extremely
disturbing, so much in fact that I couldn’t be
in the room when we were shooting it. It’s not
graphic at all, but it’s very emotional and it
was hard for me personally to be there. Luckily,
it was shot in an enclosed space, so
logistically it wouldn’t have made any sense for
me to be there anyway. We barely had enough room
for the two actors involved. So it all worked
out nicely.
What's next on your plate? Another horror
film, perhaps?
Next on my plate are several projects, which I
am working on simultaneously.
I’m developing a feature length silent comedy
based on the plot of a/s/l: A Tale of Online
Dating and featuring the Trevor character from
Monday Morning & The First Date. We’re
premiering it on DVD, online, and at the Newark
(DE) Film Festival – all in the same day. It’s a
summer project, something fun and light-hearted,
and we’re releasing it the first weekend in
September.
For the past 4 years or so, I’ve been writing &
developing a mockumentary called Therapy - about
a celebrity therapist who’s fallen on hard
times. I’m still working on the script as we
speak. I haven’t decided whether or not to shoot
it myself or shop it around. We’ll see how that
goes.
I’ve also recently directed a music video
featuring Chris Watson, who was a contestant on
this season’s American Idol. He performs his
original song “Still,” which is quite beautiful.
Watch out for him, he’s supremely talented!
So back to your original question.
A horror film? Yes. In a way. The sequel to Head
Case? Sort of.
Let me explain. When I originally wrote Head
Case, I intended it to be a one-shot deal. But
that gradually changed over time. There was so
much story still left to tell – but I felt like
I was at a crossroads. I definitely wanted to
continue telling the story of Wayne & Andrea
Montgomery, but I didn’t want to become
creatively redundant. I felt like I had pretty
much exhausted the whole handheld
“pseudo-documentary” style.
On the other hand, I didn’t want to mess with a
winning formula. Films like Head Case and
Amateur Porn Star Killer have taken various
elements from films like Cannibal Holocaust and
The Blair Witch Project to create this
disturbingly realistic “pseudo-snuff” horror
subgenre. And it works. Audiences have responded
very positively to this. Horror is supposed to
make you uncomfortable, not wrap you in sugary
sweetness much like those god-awful PG-13 horror
films out there.
What finally convinced me to go ahead was this –
basically, I just wanted to do a sequel. Because
there was a story left to tell. And I wanted to
tell it. Also, I believed in the project.
That’s how The Ritual came about.
The Ritual will only continue the story of Wayne
& Andrea Montgomery up until a certain point.
But it also tells the stories of other
characters, directly and indirectly affected by
Wayne & Andrea Montgomery. Some are very close
to them, others not so much.
It’s exciting, mainly because we’re taking some
of the same characters from Head Case and taking
them out of their element. I have no plans on
making the same film twice – and quite frankly,
the ending of Head Case prevented us from doing
so anyway. Some key elements of mood, tone, and
look will be drastically different in The
Ritual. The story will be told from another
character’s point of view, rather than from
Wayne & Andrea’s. It’s still a documentary of
sorts and I’ve retained just a fraction of the
same style – though as shooting has progressed,
more and more of what made the first film work
has crept its way into the sequel. But that’s
basically the only major similarity between The
Ritual and Head Case. We’re also shooting in
several different formats, including
Hi-Definition video, Super-8, and even 16mm –
all which will bring a whole new set of
challenges. So, in the end, Head Case and The
Ritual will actually be one film, in two
chapters. Head Case – and the story of Wayne and
Andrea Montgomery – is just a part of it. There
are other stories within the same reality &
universe that are to be told. I want to explore
that.
And it’s weird because Head Case just premiered
not too long ago, but we shot it almost two
years ago. So it creates this weird paradox
where it seems like we’re shooting the sequel
too soon, even though in reality it’s been a
while.
I’ve also begun writing an anthology film. The
title will be determined at a later date. My
goal is to create something completely surreal
and dream-like. It’s an experimental visual
project that mainly deals with grief & heartache
and the mental, emotional, and physical rituals
we all put ourselves through. I guess the best
way to describe it is Emo Pill on acid.
Each character will be a piece of the puzzle.
They will be here both to further their own
agendas as actual characters - as well as appear
as symbolic entities that exist within the vast
empire of ideas I’m trying to get across.
The project was born out of personal suffering.
To paraphrase a quote by David Lynch I read a
while ago – that one has to be in the right,
positive frame of mind when creating art – that
one can’t be suffering. I have found that
personally, my creativity blossoms to its
fullest when I’m suffering. Last year, I lost
someone very dear to me. Ironically, it was
about a month before the Head Case premiere. I
was in the midst of all the press coverage for
the film and it just happened. I was devastated.
It’s like that phone call you get at 3 a.m. You
don’t want to believe your ears because it’s
happening so suddenly. You’re in shock until you
see the casket lowered into the ground. Or when
you go back to the cemetery and see the
headstone. There’s a sense of finality to it.
I’m speaking metaphorically here, but you get
the basic idea. After a while, people around you
– even those who are closest to you – tend to
grow weary of hearing how painful it is. It may
be unintentional, but you will find that some
just want to trivialize what you’re going
through. You’re expected to just “move on” and
operate business as usual. As they always say,
the show must go on, right? I was lucky enough
to not have to deal with that too much, but
perception is reality and deep down, I felt like
I was a burden on everyone.
Even though I knew in my head that I wasn’t the
only one who’s ever had to go through something
like this, it didn’t make things any easier. I
still felt like I was going through it alone. I
had to get this all out somehow. I wear my heart
on my sleeve. I don’t hide my emotions well,
which is why I don’t bother doing so. I did a
photo shoot for a good friend of mine in North
Carolina a couple of weeks after everything
happened. We finished up and as he was touching
up the pictures on the computer, he told me that
he could see the depth of my pain in my eyes. I
was very transparent. It wasn’t too long after
that when I came up with the basic idea for this
project. I jotted down some notes here and there
and eventually came up with a storyline that was
both personal to me, yet relatable to the
general audience. It’s still in development, but
like everything – it is a work in progress.
However, I’ve accepted the fact that this just
isn’t going away and that it’s easier to run
away and hide than face it head on. Is it still
painful? Of course it is. I isolate myself
sometimes and I still cry every day. But I think
it’s healthy. I’m fully in touch with my
emotions, so I have no problem being emotional.
It’s a personal journey. Sometimes, you have to
take three steps back in order to take four
steps forward. So, in essence, this project will
be my personal journey. The thought of putting
so much of myself, both as a person and as an
artist, out there like this, is just emotionally
exhausting. But contrary to David Lynch’s quote,
which is ironic because he is my favorite
director, my creativity blossoms to its fullest
when I am suffering. Artistic expression is very
therapeutic.
And what will it all mean? I wish I could answer
that. I have my own theories and I am sure the
audience will have its own viewpoint. This is
all a personal journey. As reprehensible as
Wayne & Andrea are in Head Case and The Ritual,
they came from somewhere. They came from within.
I had to reach into some pretty dark places to
create what ended up in those two films. Places
I’d rather not visit again. But sometimes, you
have to reach down again and figure out what
exactly makes you express yourself this way.
Where did it all come from? It’s not
second-guessing or overanalyzing yourself. It’s
a self-examination. Because to me, I can better
understand myself as an artist and a storyteller
if I can harness the intangibles that will help
me create deeper and more meaningful art.
And what better way to accomplish this than to
allow the audience to go on this journey with
me!
I encourage everyone to check out Fleet Street
Films on
YouTube.
There are clips from Head Case & The Ritual, as
well as short films (Emo Pill, a/s/l – A Tale of
Online Dating, Room for Rent, Monday Morning,
The First Date, etc.) and press coverage.
Also – add me on
MySpace.
You can also add
Head Case,
The Ritual,
Fleet Street
Films, or
Emo Pill.
I talk to everyone so don’t be shy. |
Our thanks go out to Paul McCloskey, Barbara Lessin,
Anthony Spadaccini, and Tanisha Dungee!
-
Felix Vasquez Jr.
5/4/08
|
